GEO5900 – Chemical Processes in Soil and Ground Water

The purpose of this course is to give advanced master's students an understanding of the main chemical interaction processes among natural waters and the solid constituents of soils and aquifers, and not least how these processes can be quantified and simulated.

Knowledge aims:After completing the course, you should be able to

• identify and define the major processes and reactions taking place in the soil- and groundwater systems
• describe and quantify these processes separately and in concert

Level of skills: After completing the course, you should be able to

• evaluate the main processes giving rise to the chemical composition of the soil- and groundwater systems
• calculate equilibrium concentrations of major species in pore water in contact with minerals and solid surfaces
• perform computer simulations of equilibrium and kinetic reactions of a wide range of water-rock systems
• perform simple computer simulations of reactive transport

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

• KJM1002 – Introduction to Chemistry (discontinued) / KJM1101 – Generell kjemi / KJM1100 – General chemistry (continued) / KJM1001 – Introduction to chemistry (continued) / KJM1000 – Introduction to chemistry (discontinued) or similar knowledge

2*2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of exercises per week throughout the semester. There is an introductory part separated from the core instruction period. There are regular classroom teaching and computer exercises, mandatory homework problems to be handed in and an individual modelling project report to be submitted.

Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the course responsible.

We reserve the right to change the teaching form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.

• The homework problems and modelling report must be approved prior to the final exam.
• The individual project report counts 25% towards the final grade.
• The final exam counts 75% towards the final grade.
• Both the individual project report and the final exam must be passed separately in order to pass the course.

The final exam is oral or written depending on the number of students registered in the course.

Mandatory assignments are valid for 5 semesters starting from the semester they were approved the first time.

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for one of the following courses:

• GEO9900 – Chemical Processes in Soil and Ground Water
• G443

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.